WOW Xperience

The WOW XPERIENCE is in its 13th year running. The pattern of a half day experience for Form 3, 4 or 5 students from Private and Public schools has been more or less the same for all these years.

At the start of each scholastic year, an invitation goes out to all schools to announce the opening of the bookings for the Wow Xperience. The response is always good.

We start accepting schools in November of each year until the end of the scholastic year, normally in May.

This year has been a record number of schools attending hosting over 50 of them each bringing an average of 50 students totaling 2500 students. The age group of students is important as it is the same for those who start visiting Paceville night socializing and entertainment.

The half day starts at 9:15 am:

Fr. Hilary gives a warm welcome to all while explaining the meaning of the outside symbols like the Wow sign, the Tree of Life and Peace and the plaque in memory of the twinning to the Claire Monastery and the Youth FA. These signs show that the Millennium Chapel does not cater for the soul alone but also for the body, looking always at the whole person.

The Memory Tree is the symbol of life. Each year a very important prayer meeting is held for relatives of young people who have died in tragic circumstances.

Then follows a short visit to the Chapel for a few seconds of complete silence and a thanksgiving prayer for the gift of life. The prayer is given to each student to take home with him.

It is common to have students of different religions, including Muslims.

Student then move to WOW, to the colorful Multi-purpose hall, full of memories of the sporting life of Fr. Hilary as a sportswriter and football coach. The Hall presents big posters of people like Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Mother Theresa, Dorothy Day and others who have given their lives in the service of others. Reference to them is often made during Fr. Hilary’s talks. Here a short documentary film on the aims and works of the Chapel/Wow is shown on the multi functional white board. A very simple demonstration of the beauty of life when built on the values of love, respect, God, family , friends and schooling is ably presented by Fr. Hilary who interacts with the students present to keep the meeting alive.

The value of sports, music, hobbies, reading and art are underlined while particular attention is given on the use of the internet and the social media. Short clips to underline a point are often used.

After this the students take a break in the games room fully equipped with a mini billiard table, table tennis and table soccer. Some prefer to sit and talk to each other in the courtyard.

The last part of the program normally start with a half hour film with a message- like La Vita e’ Bella of Roberto Benigni and The Red Balloon a Palm d’Or award from Cannes that extols the values of friendship .

After the film ex young drug addicts and prisoners speak in a very informal way to the students of the personal life experience. This is a very powerful moment that deeply impresses the young students and put many personal questions to the speakers.

The half day ends with the signing of the Flower by all present. The signing of the flower with the logo of the Wow Xperience is put up in the hall itself with all the others as a pledge by each student to try and remember the good things he heard and a promise to do them in order to live a peaceful and enjoyable life. The Wow Xperience ends at 12:30 pm.